Fan construction



June 1 1926.

L. SCHWITZER FAN CONSTRUCTION Filed May 15, 192

' INVFJVTDR. law: Sam/72st ATTORNEYS Patented June 1, 1926.

UNITED srarss' Parser tasters LOUIS SCI-IWITZER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

FAN CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed May 15, 1924. Serial No. 713,547.

sides in the employment of impeller blades so curved and positioned with respect to each other as to carry the lubricant from the lubricant chamber contained within the housing toward the center thereof so as to discharge it between the bearing surfaces of the hub and spindle, and creating enough pressure for causing it to be forced between the bearing surfaces to the opposite end thereof.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a central vertical section taken through the hub and spindle of the fan structure. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings there is shown a sta tionary or fixed spindle lO adapted to be rigidly secured on the front end of the motor in the usual manner. Rotatably mounted on the spindle there is a fan structure embodying a hub 11 provided at its forward end with an outwardly extending flange 12. Said flange is cupped so as to provide about its outer periphery a forwardly extending portion 13 against the forward edge of which a fan plate 14 securely fits by the bolts 15. The fan plate 14 is provided with the usual heads 16 to which the fan blades 17 are secured. Surrounding the hub 11 there is a housing 18 provided about its periphery with the usual pulley construction 19 adapted to receive a belt for driving the housing, hub '11 and fan blades by reason of their being rigidly connected by the bolts 15. Said housing is spaced from the hub to provide a lubricant chamber 20 which may be filled with lubricant through an opening closed by the screw cap 21.

Positioned in the space between the hub flange 12 and the fan plate 14, there is an impeller of sufficient width to fit snugly in said space, said impeller comprising a plurality of curved impeller blades 22 adapted to extend outwardly adjacent the interior surface of the projecting portions 13 of the flange 12. Said impeller is further provided with a hub portion 23 which is fixedly secured against the end of the spindle by a bolt 24, which is shown in Fig. 1 in elevation. It will be obvious from the foregoing, that while the impeller remains stationary with the spindle, the fan hub, housing and fan, plate may be rotated for cooling purposes. This will cause the relative tit) rotation between the impeller on the one I hand and the hub and housing on the other hand. so that the housing remains stationary while the impeller is rotated, either type of fan structure embodying the same principle as this invention with respect to the relative rotation between the impeller and lubricant containing housing.

Assuming the housing has been partially filled with lubricant 25, and the parts are given their relative movement, the rapid rotation of the hub and housing will cause the lubricant, by centrifugal force, to seek the outer portion of the chamber 20 and will cause it to spread so as to pass through a port 26 formed in the hub flange 12. As the impeller remains stationary while the hub and the port 26 rapidly rotate with respect thereto, the lubricant passing through said port will pass into what may be termed the curved passageways 27 between the impeller blades. As the port passes by the ends of the impeller blades, it will be closed, but will be opened as it passes between them so that the oil will be caused to flow into said. passageways. The direction'of curvature of the impeller blades and the intermediate passages 27 with respect to the rotation of the fan structure, is such as to cause the oil passing therein to be directed downwardly toward the center 01' the hub 23, from whence the oil is free to pass into an annular groove 28 The structure may also be reversed formed in. the flange 12, which groove is.

adjacent to and communicates with a longi.-- tudinally extending oil groove 29, which is shown herein as formed in the bearing sur face of the hub 11. The pressure by which the oil is forced therein by reason of the rotation of the parts and the action of the impeller blades, would cause it to pass rearwarclly, lubricating the bearing surface as it goes, until it reaches an annular groove 30 formed on the inner bearing surface at llil.

the rear end of the hub 11. This groove will catch the oil and permit it to flow back into the chamber 20 through a port 231. Such oil as may pass beyond theennular groove will be caught by a Wire ring 32 which is firmly fixed about the spindle. This ring, which is spaced from the rear end of the hub, will deflect the oil upwardly therebet-ween into a deflecting cap 33, which will throw it back into the lubricating chamber.

Obviously it is iimnaterial to this invention as to whattype of oil passage is provided longitudinally of the spindle, as the time may be shown herein or may be the usual spiral groove, either type of groove being equally eliective, whether formed in the hub or spindle. Furthermore, such a groove may be altogether eliminated, de-

pending upon the clearance of the bearing surfaces for permitting the oil to be forced rearwardly therebetween.

T he invention claimed is In a fan structure, a stationary member, a rotatable member adapted to rotate with respect thereto, one of SiliCl members haviii a lubricant chamber, an impeller mounted on one of said members, comp'ris ing a plurality of euryed impeller blades arranged so as to provide curved passageways therebetween, said passageways being in connnunication with the lubricant chamber at intervals during the relative rotation between said members, whereby lubricant may pass from said chamber into said curved passageways and be carried thereby to the bearing surfaces between said members for lubricating the same.

2. In a fan structure, a spindle, a hub rotatably mounted thereon, a lubricating chamber carried by said hub, a cup-shaped tlangeportion formed on said hub and having a lubricantpassage therethrough, a fun plute secured to said hub as a closure "for said cup-shaped portion, and an impeller con' pletelyfilling said cup-shaped portion provided with a plurality of curved blades positioned therein and secured to the end of said spindle, the space. between said blades forming curved passageways for receiving lubricant and causing the same to be forced inwardly t'o the bearing surfaces between said hub and spindle.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

Louis SCHWITZER. 

